The Citizen Times visited 15 of the most popular and most deadly waterfalls in WNC to see what safety measures are in place after six deaths this year.

ELK PARK – The sign greeting visitors to Elk River Falls in Avery County is quite clear: “DANGER: These falls have claimed over a dozen lives.”

At the easily accessible top of the falls, laminated newspaper articles detailing deaths at the falls are tacked to a tree near where someone has placed a framed photograph of a young man, presumably a victim of a fall or drowning.

But with no sign prohibiting a walk onto the precarious rocks, or any barriers, Dell Lowe and her youngest daughter, Ali Autumn, 8, assumed it was safe to venture out before being stopped by U.S. Forest Service Appalachian District Ranger Richard Thornburgh, who told them it wasn’t a good idea to get any closer to the edge.

Richard Thornburgh, Appalachian District Ranger with the US Forest Service, talks with Dell Lowe ...more

Richard Thornburgh, Appalachian District Ranger with the US Forest Service, talks with Dell Lowe and her daughter Ali, 8, at the top of Elk River Falls July 20, 2018.

Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizentimes.com

The family from Boone had heard about the beauty of Elk River Falls and stopped for the short hike to see the powerful cascade after spotting roadside signs advertising the falls.

“We would have gone further if he hadn’t warned us it was dangerous,” Lowe said.

Few visitors to Western North Carolina's most hazardous waterfalls will get precautionary advice delivered in person. In some cases, they will see little to no warning at all.

Despite the region's waterfalls being highly promoted on websites, social media, books and magazines, safety features, such as signage, and access to the tops and bottoms of waterfalls vary greatly across national and state forests, national and state parks.

So far this year, six people have died and hundreds more have suffered injuries in what has been one of the deadliest for waterfall accidents in recent history.

In the wake of these deaths, the Citizen Times spent three weeks in July visiting some of the most popular waterfalls to look for warning signs, barricades or other efforts to keep people away from any dangers.

At some waterfalls in DuPont State Recreational Forest, barricades have been erected around sites for potential accidents. But after two deaths this year at Elk River, people can freely walk above the falls.

At Catawba Falls in McDowell County, where there were two deaths in the past year, signs warning people not to climb to the top were stolen months ago haven't been replaced. And at Moore Cove Falls north of Brevard, a user-created trail to the top, where several people have fallen to their deaths, is not barricaded.

A list of the newspaper's findings include:

Signs line the path to Elk River Falls in the Pisgah National Forest July 20, 2018.

Signs line the path to Elk River Falls in the Pisgah National Forest July 20, 2018.

Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizentimes.com

Elk River Falls

Where: Town of Elk Park in Appalachian Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest, Avery County

Height: About 65 feet

Hike: About .1 mile to top of falls, and .1 mile to base

Deaths: Two in 2018, and average of one a year for past 20 years.

The falls are dramatic, a sort of vision addiction as they plunge 65 feet through a narrow rock crevice, to a pool even deeper. Large flat rocks facing the falls seem perfect perches for picnics and sunbathing.

But so many people have drowned here that in 2016 the Forest Service and Avery County Sheriff’s Department released a safety video on Facebook in which rescue service members called the falls a “drowning machine.”

Cathy Dowd, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service, said he jumped from a ledge only 3-4 feet above the pool, but was pulled under by the strong current and drowned after being tangled in fishing line.

On May 20, Thomas McCardle Jr., 26, of Martins Ferry, Ohio, was wading at the base of Elk River Falls, according to Avery County Sheriff Kevin Fry, when he is believed to have slid off a rock before and was dragged under water by strong currents due to recent heavy rain.

The dangerously high waters prevented rescuers from retrieving the body for 10 days.

Thornburgh, who does not normally patrol the area, which is about two hours from his office in Mars Hill, was showing the Citizen Times where McCardle went in the water – a seemingly harmless spot on a rock below the falls.

When viewing that area from above the falls, screams pierced the air as a young woman slipped into the water from almost the exact same spot. She was pulled out by people she was with and appeared to be fine.

A woman slips into the water at the base of Elk River Falls July 20, 2018, in the same area where ...more

A woman slips into the water at the base of Elk River Falls July 20, 2018, in the same area where an Ohio man slipped in and drowned in May.

Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizentimes.com

Thornburgh said after speaking with local emergency rescue departments, he believes the number of deaths at the falls might be as high as 25 in the past two decades.

Lowe said she thought the warning signs were “well placed,” but she said the Forest Service probably needs to add more signs, or a barrier, telling people where they shouldn’t take one step further, which she said might deter people from getting too close to the edge or from jumping off the top of the falls.

“I understand you’re messing with the beauty of nature when you start to put up barriers, but it might help,” she said.

While people have fallen to their deaths from the top of Elk River, the two deaths this year happened in the plunge pool, which can be just as dangerous as the brink because of hidden underwater hazards, such as logs and large tangles of fishing line, strong currents and hydraulics that can suck in and hold down even the best swimmers.

People stand at the top of Elk River Falls July 20, 2018.

People stand at the top of Elk River Falls July 20, 2018.

Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizentimes.com

Thornburg said there’s no way to count the number of people who use the falls, but on a sunny Friday morning in July, there was a packed parking lot, a constant stream of people in bathing suits, carrying beach towels and picnic coolers.

Even though signs warn people not to swim above the falls, not to jump from the top and not to climb around the falls, none of those activities are prohibited. Thornburg said there are no plans to make swimming or walking above the falls illegal, or to barricade the brink of the waterfalls.

“There are risks involved in any activity in a natural forest,” he said. “People need to educate themselves in any outdoor setting. We don’t want to keep people from hearing, seeing or feeling a mountain stream or being able to fish.”

Nick Larson, the Grandfather District Ranger in the Pisgah National Forest talks about waterfall safety at Catawba falls

Asheville Citizen Times

He said forest managers are discussing adding signs or creating signs that will be more attention-grabbing.

On June 24, 2007, a 16-year-old, Chad Hicks, of Roan Mountain, Tennessee, drowned while swimming in the plunge pool and getting tangled in fishing line. The pool is so deep, it took dive teams two days to retrieve his body.

Sheriff Frye later unsuccessfully called for the swimming area at the base of the falls to be closed to the public. “… It is apparent that this area is extremely dangerous for recreational swimming. The debris and currents make it very difficult for even the most experienced swimmers,” Frye was quoted as saying in the Avery Post.

Two years later, Hicks’ mother, Deborah Whicker, sued the U.S. Forest Service for negligence in her son’s death, but the lawsuit was eventually dismissed, finding no wrongdoing on the part of the Forest Service.

Where: Trail starts in Gorges State Park in Transylvania County near Lake Toxaway, but the waterfalls are on U.S. Forest Service property in the Pisgah District of Pisgah National Forest.

Height: Rainbow is about 150 feet, Turtleback about 20 feet.

Hike: About 3.4 miles round trip on a steep, strenuous trail

Deaths: Two in 2018

On July 4, H’Money Siu, 16, of Charlotte died after falling from the top of Rainbow Falls, a popular recreation spot in the Transylvania County area of Pisgah National Forest. Her 11-year-old sister, who tried to grab Siu, was safely rescued, according to the Forest Service.

On June 23, John Shaffer, 42, of Charleston, South Carolina, was swept over the falls while trying to save his dog.

In 2016, Taylor Terrell, a Georgia morning news anchor, also fell about 160 feet to her death from the top of Rainbow Falls, one day before her 25th birthday.

A woman looks out from the top of Rainbow Falls as a couple sunbathes July 8, 2018.

A woman looks out from the top of Rainbow Falls as a couple sunbathes July 8, 2018.

Angela Wilhelm, /awilhelm@citizentimes.com

There are several warning signs at the Gorges State Park visitor center, including at the trailhead and at the viewing area fence above the waterfall warning people about the dangers of climbing on waterfalls.

But all three entered the top of the falls at the same place where there was previously an unbarricaded, inviting opening, before falling to their deaths, said Dave Casey, Pisgah District Ranger.

There is no closure order, which would prohibit people from entering the Horsepasture River or the rocks above the falls, he said.

Casey, who oversees the busiest section of the national forests in North Carolina, set into motion a waterfall safety plan after the June 23 fatality, working with personnel from Gorges State Park, Lake Toxaway Fire Department, Transylvania County EMS and the county TDA.

He said there are 11 warning signs from the park to Rainbow Falls, and then a short hike upstream to Turtleback Falls, where there have been fatalities in past years.

On July 11, one week after a teenage girlÕs death at Rainbow Falls, the US Forest Service went to ...more

On July 11, one week after a teenage girlÕs death at Rainbow Falls, the US Forest Service went to work on the trail felling several dead or dying trees across an inviting opening at the top of Rainbow falls to deter people from entering.

Courtesy photo/U.S. Forest Service

Forest Service personnel made some safety improvements July 11, including felling dead or dying trees across the opening at the top of Rainbow Falls to deter people from entering and placing a site-specific warning sign at this natural “pinch point,” after visitors have seen Rainbow Falls and right before they approach the top of the waterfall.

The sign says in part: “Many People Have Died from being swept over Rainbow Falls. Two since June 2018. Entering the river anywhere upstream of this point can be fatal.”

Casey said the safety team is looking at 12 waterfalls on the Pisgah District as well as Looking Glass Rock and John Rock to create a “more structured plan on waterfall safety” and more changes are expected.

Gorges State Parks has a naturalist who leads occasional hikes to the waterfalls and will sometimes linger at the falls to give “pop-up” safety programs. A more formalized uniformed presence is also being discussed.

North Carolina State Parks has also recently launched a waterfall safety website, in words and pictures admonishing people not to take unsafe selfies, to stay off rocks, “make wonderful waterfall memories and be responsible.”

Transylvania County is hailed the "land of waterfalls" but enjoying these cascades can be deadly if not done properly.

Angeli Wright, awright@citizen-times.com

Looking Glass Falls

Where: U.S. 276 near Brevard in the Pisgah District of Pisgah National Forest, about 3 miles north of the Ranger Station.

Height: 60 feet

Hike: Roadside viewing platform. Staircase leads to bottom of falls.

Deaths: Several, including one in 2015 when a man fell from the top of the falls.

Looking Glass Rock is perhaps the best-known waterfall in Western North Carolina because of its easily visible perch along the heavily trafficked but only two-lane U.S. 276 through Pisgah National Forest, also known as the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway.

Families play on the rocks and in the water below Looking Glass Falls as others watch from an ...more

Families play on the rocks and in the water below Looking Glass Falls as others watch from an observation deck on Thursday, July 19, 2018.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

It is also one of the 12 waterfalls the Forest Service is reevaluating for safety. Yellow “Danger” signs in English and Spanish are posted at a viewing area off the highway, but they are off to the side, not in view of the falls, and can be easy to miss on a hot summer day when people are swarming. A series of steps leads to the base of the falls and a popular swimming area.

Even though a railing seems to discourage people from entering the jumble of rocks at the base, there is no sign warning people of the dangers, and it is not illegal to swim there, or to climb the rocks, Pisgah District Ranger Dave Casey said.

A man died in 2015 after climbing to the top of the falls.

The area draws hordes throughout the year, including winter, when the falls and plunge pool partially freeze, causing another mesmerizing phenomenon that draws people to walk out onto the thin ice. While rangers don’t advise the activity, it is not illegal.

Sign warn of the waterfall's dangers at Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah National Forest on ...more

Sign warn of the waterfall's dangers at Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah National Forest on Thursday, July 19, 2018.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Moore Cove Falls

Where: U.S. 276 in the Pisgah District of Pisgah National Forest, a mile north of Looking Glass Falls.

Height: 50 feet

Hike: About 1.5 miles round trip. Some elevation gain on forested trail with footbridge creek crossings.

Deaths: Several, including one in 2017 and one in 2016, both in falls from the top.

A mile down the road from Looking Glass is Moore Cove Falls, a deceptively deadly cascade. An easy forest trail is popular with families because it is doable for children, with a big payoff at the end – a gently tumbling, spraying waterfall in front of a rock undercut that begs to be explored.

Hikers walk behind Moore Cove Falls beyond an observation railing in the Pisgah National Forest on Thursday, July 19, 2018. In both 2016 and 2017 a hiker climbed to the top of the waterfall and fell to his death.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

The trailhead kiosk has a colorful sign, “Slippery When Wet,” that is part of a Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority waterfall safety campaign, advising people to stay on marked trails, not to jump off waterfalls and to keep a close watch on children and pets at all times.

But the sign tends to blend in with the other signs and maps on the kiosk since it is not in the typical red or yellow danger colors or have the urgency that a “Dangerous When Wet” might. Many people observed at the falls recently strode right by the sign.

But there have been several deaths at these falls, most recently last summer, from falls from the top. The Forest Service erected a viewing platform with metal signs in English and Spanish warning people not to climb on the waterfall, and a laminated paper sign saying: “Do Not Access the top of the Waterfall. There have been 2 waterfall deaths here since 2016.”

After passing behind the slim, misty waterfall, a “user-created” trail – one not sanctioned or maintained by the Forest Service – leads to the rocks above the falls.

But there is no “closure order” in effect, Casey said, meaning if people want to climb on up, they can.

Hikers walk behind Moore Cove Falls beyond an observation railing in the Pisgah National Forest on Thursday, July 19, 2018. In both 2016 and 2017 a hiker climbed to the top of the waterfall and fell to his death.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Slick Rock Creek Falls

Where: On Forest Service Road 475B near the Pisgah Fish Hatchery in the Pisgah District of Pisgah National Forest.

Height: 30 feet

Hike: Falls are visible from the dirt road parking lot, but a short, steep scramble leads to a closer view from the creek in front of the falls, and a maintained trail up steps and to the right of the kiosk leads to a ledge below the falls.

Deaths: None reported

Slick Rock is one of many waterfalls slicing and squeezing the rocks throughout Transylvania County, and is on the “must-do” list for waterfallers – an actual term used to describe people who chase, hunt, photograph or visit every waterfall they can, like Theresa Rasmussen, a landscape photographer from Fredericksburg, Virginia, who was visiting the falls during a downpour.

Landscape photographer Theresa Rasmussen, of Virginia, takes a photo of Slick Rock Falls in the ...more

Landscape photographer Theresa Rasmussen, of Virginia, takes a photo of Slick Rock Falls in the Pisgah National Forest on Thursday, July 19, 2018.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

The rain didn’t stop her from setting up her tripod to catch the dancing waterfall spray, from a safe distance. She spends most of her free time visiting waterfalls, but after a near-fall on an algae-covered rock during her college days, Rasmussen said she doesn’t get anywhere near slick, slippery waterfall rocks.

The trail to a slick ledge just below the falls is only a couple of hundred feet from the kiosk. Another trail winds narrowly and steeply up the left side of the falls to the base of Looking Glass Rock, a popular area for rock climbers. But there are no signs indicating where the trail leads.

Catawba Falls

Where: Catawba River Road in Old Fort, McDowell County, in the Grandfather Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest.

Height: About 100 feet

Hike: About 3 miles round trip, not including trip to Upper Catawba Falls.

Catawba Falls is relatively new to the Forest Service, which only acquired the 88 acres of land in 2010 from the Foothills Conservancy, which purchased it from a private landowner. Since then, the federal agency has been trying to make the massively popular falls more accessible, and safer, for the public.

Catabwa Falls in the Pisgah National Forest in Old Fort.

Catabwa Falls in the Pisgah National Forest in Old Fort.

Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizentimes.com

“Typically once a month we have some sort of serious injury that requires an extraction, a broken leg or head injury, something to that extent,” said Nick Larson, District Ranger for the Grandfather Ranger District.

The Forest Service has built a parking lot for 28 cars and four buses that still overflow on weekends, restrooms, and two bridges across the Catawba River so that people no longer have to rock hop the river, and emergency vehicles can get in and out faster.

But based on signage at the trailhead kiosk, a first-time visitor would have no idea of recent deaths and no sense of urgency. The paper sign warning of waterfall dangers is pastel-colored, blending into the background. Larson said the signs will be updated.

Larson led the way recently along the pretty forested path, pointing out the former hydroelectric dam, and the spot where a non-sanctioned Forest Service trail leads to the Upper Falls.

A family poses for a portrait at the base of Catabwa Falls in the Pisgah National Forest in Old ...more

A family poses for a portrait at the base of Catabwa Falls in the Pisgah National Forest in Old Fort, Friday, July 13.

Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizentimes.com

“No one should be walking up there,” he said of the slippery, hand-scramble, goat trail. No signs exist warning people of the dangers, Larson said, because “college kids think the signs look cool in their dorm rooms.”

He said they should be replaced soon.

The base of the falls provides ample room for sitting, lunching, wading, and contemplating the lovely, spidery cascade. But for some, even in the presence of a uniformed ranger, the lure of the rocks above is just too tempting.

Many people were seen on a recent Friday afternoon heading up the slick, off-limits, path to the Upper Falls, even after being warned by Larson, and climbing on boulder ledges slick with running water.

Signage warning visitors to Catabwa Falls in the Pisgah National Forest in Old Fort in Spanish of ...more

Signage warning visitors to Catabwa Falls in the Pisgah National Forest in Old Fort in Spanish of the hazards of climbing around the waterfalls.

Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizentimes.com

“Two fatalities in a year-and-a-half is something we take seriously. We’re improving access for emergency management and we’re focusing on education and engineering,” he said.

“I want people to come to national forests, but we don’t want to put a fence around every waterfall. We want people to stay off the falls themselves, enjoy the pools and coolness of the creeks.”

But Larson said the lure of the Upper Catawba Falls, which he calls “astounding,” is undeniable, and the Forest Service is in plans with McDowell County and the North Carolina State Trail System to build a $500,000 staircase with safety railing from the lower to the upper falls, and a viewing platform at the top of Catawba Falls. He said work should get underway this winter.

Signage warning visitors to Catabwa Falls in the Pisgah National Forest in Old Fort of the hazards ...more

Signage warning visitors to Catabwa Falls in the Pisgah National Forest in Old Fort of the hazards of climbing around the waterfalls.

Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizentimes.com

A second phase is planned, when money becomes available, to build another viewing platform at the Upper Falls.

Until then, Larson said, area closures are challenging for the Forest Service.

“We don’t have the personnel to enforce closures, and the restrict somebody’s ability to fish and ability to hunt and to do a lot of the things we encourage on the national forests,” he said. “We’re relying now on education, letting folks know the number of injuries, hazards, building staircases.”

Whitewater Falls

Where: On N.C. 281 near Lake Cashiers, Jackson County in the Nantahala Ranger District of Nantahala National Forest

Height: 411 feet

Hike: Quarter-mile, uphill climb on a paved path to a viewing area, then a 150-step staircase down to a second viewing platform. The Foothills Trail continues from this point down to the river.

Deaths: Numerous, including 13 since 1995.

Known as one of the highest waterfalls in the Eastern United States, Whitewater draws some 80,000 visitors a year. It is easy to reach, has real flush toilets and picnic tables, and a $2 a car day use fee.

The falls, arguably one of the prettiest in WNC – Kevin Adams, author of the waterfall “bible,” “North Carolina Waterfalls,” gives it a beauty rating of 10.

It also has the dubious distinction of being one of the deadliest, with at least 13 deaths since 1995, said District Ranger Mike Wilkins. But that was when the old road bed leading to the top of the falls was closed with a split rail fence. There were even more deaths that occurred before then, he said.

The kiosk at the trailhead has small yellow caution signs with figures falling off a waterfall that says: “Do Not Swim Above or Jump Off Waterfall – Strong Currents.”

A sign at an observation point uses blunt language at White Water Falls in the Nantahala National ...more

A sign at an observation point uses blunt language at White Water Falls in the Nantahala National Forest on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. The waterfall is the highest in the East at more than 400 feet. It is also one of the most deadly. A least 13 people have died at the falls since 1995.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

It’s easy to miss, however. In much bigger print is the “Fee Area” sign.

But an inescapable sign at the overlook says: “Danger … People have died here.” There have been proactive steps at Whitewater Falls over the years to reduce the number of deaths and accidents. In 1995 a viewing platform was built and the road to the top of the falls was closed, although Wilkins said people still will go around the fence.

Mike and Cheryl DiLeo were on a motorcycle camping trip recently, and stopped to check out the falls from the lower observation deck.

“I wasn’t surprised to see the warning signs,” Cheryl DiLeo said. “I personally wouldn’t do something to put my life in jeopardy. I can appreciate the beauty from afar.”

Mike DiLeo said more signage probably wouldn’t be a deterrent.

“I think people who are risk-takers are going to do it anyway. People are nuts.”

Wilkins said the National Forest does not manage all of the 1.1 million acres in WNC the same, allowing for fences across some waterfalls and not others. The Nantahala District alone is 260,000 acres. There are 22 staffers, including several who work in the office full time. There is one law enforcement officer for the district.

Bille Moore, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, takes in Whitewater Falls in the Nantahala National ...more

Bille Moore, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, takes in Whitewater Falls in the Nantahala National Forest from the observation deck on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. The waterfall is the highest in the East at more than 400 feet. It is also one of the most deadly. A least 13 people have died at the falls since 1995.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

“If we make a trail to a waterfall we make it safe. There are warning signs at the interpretive board (kiosk) and usually signs on site. Making it illegal is far less a deterrent than the obvious hazard they are usually looking at,” Wilkins said.

Dry Falls

Where: U.S. 64 in Highlands, Macon County, Nantahala District of Nantahala National Forest.

Height: 75 feet

Hike: A staircase and sturdy metal railing lead from the parking lot (with pit toilets) along the Cullasaja River and behind the falls. There is also a handicap-accessible viewing platform.

Deaths: Most recent was in 2016 when a man jumped over a closed gate, slipped and fell over the falls.

Visitors view Dry Falls along the path, complete with railing, that takes them behind the heavy ...more

Visitors view Dry Falls along the path, complete with railing, that takes them behind the heavy stream on water on July 25, 2018.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

If it’s been raining, Dry Falls won’t feel dry, but perhaps the best part about this waterfall is having a safe, approved trail on which to walk behind the falls, and the cool spray feels good in summer. The waterfall is stunning from all angles.

In addition to the railing, there is a gate that the Forest Service locks in winter, when the falls tend to freeze, causing a safety hazard. There is also a fence at the end of the trail, blocking access to the trail leading to the top of the falls.

Wilkins said the recreation area, which sees more than 100,000 visitors a year, underwent a major renovation several years ago. The parking lot revamp cost $900,000 and the trail renovations and fence replacement cost $450,000.

A gate gives the Forest Service the option to block off access to a trail behind Dry Falls near ...more

A gate gives the Forest Service the option to block off access to a trail behind Dry Falls near Cashiers. A man fell from the walkway and died in 2016.

Angeli Wright/awright@citizen-times.com

Beth Saier, who was visiting recently from Gulf Breeze, Florida, with her husband, Bill, enjoyed the torrent of water from the accessible viewing deck.

“Safety means a great deal to us,” said Saier, who uses a wheelchair. “This has been really nice. Being able to get here and see the falls in a wheelchair has made all the difference.”

Other nearby falls along an eight-mile stretch of U.S. 64, known as the Mountain Water Scenic Byway, include the barely trickling Bridal Veil, which you can walk behind, and Cullasaja Falls, a 250-foot masterpiece that can only be viewed from the road.

This is a two-lane road with blind curves. We saw people standing in the middle of U.S. 64 to take photos at Bridal Veil and Cullasaja Falls. There are no signs telling people not to do this, but this might be the most dangerous waterfall-related activity we witnessed.

Cullasaja Falls is seen from the side of Hwy 64 between Highlands and Franklin on Wednesday, July ...more

Cullasaja Falls is seen from the side of Hwy 64 between Highlands and Franklin on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. The viewing area is a small pull-off on the side of a blind curve in the two-lane road.

Height: High Falls slides 120 feet down a granite rock face, and just below it, Triple Falls flows another 120 feet down three distinct cascades.

Hike: From the Hooker Falls parking lot, it is a moderately strenuous 3-mile round trip hike through the forest.

Deaths: A 20-year-old man died June 5, 2016 after a fall while climbing the face of High Falls. The last known death at Triple Falls was in 2007. In July 2016 an 18-year-old from Henderson County died in nearby Hooker Falls.

Bruce MacDonald, a North Carolina Forest Service ranger talks about safety around waterfalls at DuPont state recreational forest

Asheville Citizen Times

DuPont State Recreational Forest, managed by the North Carolina Forest Service, is loaded with waterfalls, and people – the 10,400-acre forest has some 600,000 visitors a year.

Signs warning people not to climb or swim above the falls, not to climb on rocks around the falls, or jump from waterfalls, greet people on the trails to Hooker Falls and to Triple and High Falls. Signs also warn: “Death has occurred here.”

Visitors to Triple Falls in DuPont State Recreational Forest, view the falls from the roped-in ...more

Visitors to Triple Falls in DuPont State Recreational Forest, view the falls from the roped-in viewing area at the base of the falls Thursday, July 26, 2018.

Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizentimes.com

Forest ranger Bruce MacDonald said staff erected a new barrier this past Memorial Day to the entry at the middle of Triple Falls, made to blend into the scenery with unobtrusive wood posts and wire, with signs that say “No entry.”

In addition, he said the forest’s three law enforcement officers try to keep a regular patrol rotation among the most popular waterfalls, especially on busy summer days.

Calls for rescue are steady, ranging from broken bones to head injuries.

Unlike the National Forest, the State Forest has a rule against bathing or swimming within 300 feet upstream of the top of a waterfall. Rock climbing – traversing a rock face using hands and feet - is also prohibited on High and Triple Falls.

Visitors to DuPont State Recreational Forest sit on boulders in front of High Falls Thursday, July ...more

Visitors to DuPont State Recreational Forest sit on boulders in front of High Falls Thursday, July 26, 2018.

Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizentimes.com

If anyone breaks these rules, they can be cited for disorderly conduct and issued a $30 fine plus $180 for court costs.

“We want people to come here to enjoy the falls. We’re trying to help folks make the safest choices possible,” McDonald said.

Looking forward to forest safety

Visits to waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Parkway, managed by the National Park Service, is a different type of experience. According to parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon, Linville Falls in Avery County, is likely the most popular falls on the parkway. Trails lead to several vantage points, all behind barriers or stone walls.

Since there have been several fatalities at the falls, entering the Linville River between the upper and lower falls and any impoundment of the Linville River within parkway boundaries is prohibited.

The missions of national forests and parks are very different. In general, there is more freedom on the national forests, which allow hunting in places, camping in most places, wading and swimming in streams and waterfalls, while the Park Service, which includes the Great Smoky Mountains, prohibits hunting, and camping is only allowed in designated campgrounds.

Allen Nicholas is the Supervisor for the National Forests in North Carolina.

Allen Nicholas is the Supervisor for the National Forests in North Carolina.

Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service

“In places where you have this level of fatality, everyone struggles with it. We don’t want people to come to the forest and have this regimented experience that restricts what they can do,” said Allen Nicholas, Forest Supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina.

The Pisagah and Nantahala national forests encompass some 1.1 million acres of land and have nearly 6 million visitors a year. The forests are broken into six districts. There is one law enforcement ranger for each district, and two on the Pisgah District.

Visitors to DuPont State Recreational Forest lie on boulders in front of High Falls Thursday, July ...more

Visitors to DuPont State Recreational Forest lie on boulders in front of High Falls Thursday, July 26, 2018.

Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizentimes.com

Nicholas, who is based in Asheville, is the team leader of a newly formed Southern Region Visitor Safety Team, which encompasses 13 states, from Florida to Virginia, and Puerto Rico, which has been tasked with looking at a variety of safety issues, including waterfalls.

The 12-member team, including three from the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests is looking at “innovative communication” to reach people from all backgrounds, including rural and urban areas, going into schools to talk to spread the safety message early, possible engineering designs, such as fences or other barriers, and an ambassador program of volunteers.

“We want to get to people self-policing. That’s the gold standard, rather than someone like me in a green uniform telling people they can’t do something,” Nicholas said.

A young visitor to DuPont State Recreational Forest slides down rocks in front of High Falls ...more

A young visitor to DuPont State Recreational Forest slides down rocks in front of High Falls Thursday, July 26, 2018.

Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citizentimes.com

“No matter what degree of engineering or administrative closures, you’ll still have people that want to be challenged. Everyone has a different risk level, people are constant always trying to reach that, but perhaps they over-estimate where they are or the conditions and end up having trouble.”

Waterfall safety tips

Heed posted warning signs indicating danger.

Stay on established trails.

Do not climb on rocks around waterfalls. Rocks can be slippery and it's easy to lose your balance, especially with bare feet.

Never play in the water above a waterfall.

Never jump off waterfalls or dive into plunge pools at the base of waterfalls. Rocks and logs can be hidden beneath the surface of the water. Often waterfall pools have swirling water or currents that can drag and keep even strong swimmers underwater.